As of today (October 14, 2018) is not fully available
in code 83. In code 83, it is available as a crossover and a double-slip.
It is available as a standard turnout in N-scale. This description is
based on my examination of an N-scale turnout.

N-Scale Peco UnifrogNote the wire in the bottom of the photo beneath the frog. This
is the wire for powering the frog.

What is the Unifrog?

The Unifrog has a small, electrically isolated frog that
can be power routed. The frog is about the size of the Peco Insulfrog.
This means that you possibly could avoid power routing the turnout and
use it like an Insulfrog. Or you can power route it like the Peco Electrofrog.
The Unifrog appears to be a mix of the best between the Insulfrog and
Electrofrog. One could expect that Peco may intend to discontinue the
Insulfrog and Electrofrog and only offer the Unifrog.

Modelers who didn't want to power route their turnouts
gambled by installing Insulfrogs and hoped everything would work. Now
that gamble isn't such a big risk. All you have to do is drop the supplied
frog wire through a hole in your benchwork and roll your dice. If you
find your locomotives don't like the isolated frog, you can easily hook
up the frog wire and now use your turnout with a power routed frog.

Before I go further, if you currently have Electrofrogs
or are wondering if you should wait until Peco expands their Unifrog
product line, relax. I'm about to build a new layout with Pecos myself.
The Unifrog has a few nice features over the Electrofrog, but it doesn't
render them an obsolete choice. Go ahead and use any Electrofrogs you
have on hand. Feel free to buy more if you need to while you wait for
Unifrogs. I describe how to wire Electrofrogs below.

With the Electrofrog, you needed to use two insulated
joiners on the frog rails to prevent downstream DCC tracks from shorting
out. The Unifrog is like the Insulfrog. The frog rails are not tied
to the frog and don't change polarity with the frog. So no insulated
joiners are needed with the Unifrog.

With the Electrofrog, you had the option of power routing
the the closure rails and frog with the flipping of the point rails.
You don't have that option with the Unifrog. Don't worry, if you are
new to DCC, this was an option you don't need. So there is nothing to
snip as was the case with the Electrofrog.

As a bonus to not having the power routing rails option,
Peco has already attached the closure rails to the stock rails. These
are four solder connections you don't have to make!

The only solder connections you need to make to the turnout
itself is to the stock rails. Peco has already connected a wire to the
frog for you.

The blue frog rail is tied directly to the blue stock
rail. You will note a jumper around the frog for the rails I show in
red. This connects the red frog, closure, and stock rail together. This
is an electrically acceptable thing to do.

If there is anything with the Unifrog that MIGHT cause
some concern, it is how close the two closure rails come to each other
near the frog. The N-scalers in our club tell me that they have had
turnouts like this before and never had a problem. I'll give Peco the
benefit of the doubt and won't worry either. If you do have shorts at
the frog, some fingernail polish on the inside edge of the rail at this
point should solve the problem.

You have the option of power routing your frog or leaving
it disconnected. Small wheel base locomotives or those that only have
a few wheels picking up power, may have problem with this. If you are
a gambler, leave it disconnected and see if you have problems. Even
if you elect to leave it disconnected for now, I suggest you attach
a wire about 6" to 12" inches (150-30mm) long now and drop
this through a hole in your benchwork. Should you find that you need
to power route your frog later, you will have something to attach to.
Otherwise, you will find yourself under your layout trying to solder
to a very short wire above your head. You will hate yourself later if
you don't attach a wire to it now!

As a bonus to N-scale modelers, Ken Klipple, who provided
the turnout for my examination, made some mechanical measurements on
the turnout. Since I have no experience in knowing how close they need
to be perfect to be good, I simply provide them for you to make your
own judgement. Click here for
the zip file containing the xlsx and ods files.

1. Run a wire from each stock rail to the corresponding
bus wire as shown in color above.

2. Optionally, you may want to jumper the hinge point
between the closure rails and point rails. If you do this, a very
small wire, like a #28 or #30 AWG wire is suggested. Be careful and
don't interfere with the flipping of the points. As I said, this is
an optional step. In N-scale, attached this wire would be difficult
and probably should only be attempted by modelers who consider themselves
to be expert solderers.

3. If you want to power route your frog, attach the
frog wire (shown in green) to the output of a Frog
Juicer, a Tortoise, a manual switch, or any other device you have
for controlling your frog polarity. See the section on "How
to Wire Turnouts" for ideas on doing this.

Note: You do not need to use insulated joiners anywhere
on this turnout.

SUGGESTION #2-12a: Peco "Insulfrog" Turnout
Is DCC Friendly As Is.

Code 75, 83, 100

The Insulfrog is DCC ready as is. The insulated part of the
frog is much smaller than the frog on an Atlas turnout. So you
have a better chance of an 0-4-0 making it across this frog without
a problem and without power routing the frog. Note though that
all four wheels of the 0-4-0 must pick up track power which is commonly
the case.

You cannot power route the frog of this switch. If
you wanted to power route the frog of a switch, you would not purchase
this switch.

Note also that the metal guard rail portions of the frog are not
powered at all and therefore would not cause a short should a train
derail on the frog.

Option 1: Peco provides a place for you to install these jumpers. Installing
them would better able enable a short to allow your booster to shut
itself down. They would also help prevent the jumpers Peco provided
on the back across the frog from becoming hot spots and melting the
frog.

Option 2: Place these across the hinge of the points. These
would help prevent the points from having poor electrical contact years
down the road.

1. Run a wire from each point rail to the corresponding
bus wire as shown in color above.

2. Run a wire from each stock rail to the corresponding
bus wire as shown in color above.

Note: You do not need to use insulated joiners anywhere
on this turnout.

SUGGESTION: Solving Shorts in a Peco "Insulfrog" Turnout

The following was contributed by Dale Gloer,
dale.gloer@telus.net

File the top of the rail heads in the area so they
slope towards the plastic insulating piece between them.

I have indicated the trouble area with an
arrow. As you can see (although the very point of the frog is hard
to
make out) the point of the frog is plastic and the plastic extends
as an
insulator between the 2 frog rails. On this particular switch the
spacing between the rails is fairly wide and it is unlikely this
switch
would cause problems. But on some the rails are closer together so
that
the insulating piece is also narrow and it is possible for a wheel
tread
to bridge the two rails. It is very easy to
determine if the problem is caused by a wheel tread bridging the
two
rails. Just cover the rails in that narrow area with a piece of scotch
tape. For a permanent fix I use a file and bevel the 2 rail heads
so
that the rail heads slope down toward the plastic insulator. It doesn't
take much to fix the problem. I know others who paint the rails with
clear lacquer, even leaving a piece of scotch tape on the rails is
a
fairly durable solution. I ran that way quite a while before I tried
filing the rail heads, in fact I've got one now with tape on it.

SUGGESTION #2-12b: Peco "Electrofrog" Turnout
Is DCC Friendly In Just a Few Snips.

The Peco "Electrofrog" has an "E" in it's part number.

Peco electrofrogs come in several variants depending
on the scale of the turnout and the angle of the turnout. I'd have
to buy one of every turnout to be sure I have everything right. If
you find that I have categorized your favorite turnout incorrectly,
please do two things:
1. Use the diagram I have shown that most
closely resembles your turnout.
2. Write me so that I can correct
this page.

Code 75, 83, 100:

The Peco turnout is a clever design. It can be
a typical power routed turnout or a DCC friendly one. It is proof
positive that manufacturers can make turnouts that suit all modelers'
needs without
it costing more to make them.

Let this be a public thank you on behalf of all model
railroaders for a company responding to the needs of those who buy
your product - by choice and because modelers like it, not because
it is the least evil on the market.

This is a great improvement. The problem with the frog
shorting is completely eliminated with no serious cutting effort on
the part of the modeler required. Not only does not modeler not need
to saw on the turnout, potentially risking damage, but also the jumpers
around the frog do not need to be cut.

The only jumpers that need to be cut are those shown.
Be careful not to cut those across the frog!

You have less problem of a dead frog with this arrangement.
Furthermore, the desire to use a light bulb is drastically reduced.

So that you don't have to solder to the frog, powering the frog is now provided
by some wires.

Congratulations Peco!

How do you know you have this type of turnout? It sounds
like the wires coming out the side would be a fast and obvious indication.
Furthermore, you should notice breaks in the turnout, indicated at
the "CUT JUMPERS" point not present in the turnout I show above. And
of course, the turnout I show above does not have the jumpers to be
cut!

2. Add jumper between stock rails and closure rails
as shown. Or, for less solder joints to your track, drop feeders
from each closure rail to your buses as shown in color above.

3. Connect the frog to your power routing switch or
switch machine.

4. Connect your power routing switch or switch machine
to your bus as shown in the above drawing. If the locomotive shorts
when it goes across the frog, swap the wires that connect your power
routing switch or switch machine to your bus.

5. Install insulated joiners as shown.

6. Run a wire from each point rail to the corresponding
bus wire as shown in color above.

7. Run a wire from each stock rail to the corresponding
bus wire as shown in color above.

Electrofrog - Top View
Note the insulating gaps in the closure rails in the right half of
the picture.
Photos by Dale Gloer

Electrofrog - Underneath View Unmodified

Electrofrog - Underneath View
Notice bonds between stock and closure rails in right side of view.Also, the jumpers have been cut. Also note the wire leaving the
frog and dropping towards the bottom of the picture. Solder a wire
to this to power route your frog.

SUGGESTION #2-12c:Code 55 and Older Turnouts

Code 55, (75, 100 older):

This applies to the current code 55 turnouts and may
apply to some of the older code 75 and 100 turnouts.

The code 55 turnouts, SL-E391F and
SL-E395F shown at right, come in two variations that have no
impact on how you use the turnout.
These variations are in how the frog jumpers are placed on the
back of the turnout.

The significant difference between these turnouts and other
Peco turnouts is that Peco has not pre-cut the rails leading to
the frog. Hence the jumpers between the frog and closure rails
are not present. In order to isolate the frog from the closure
rails, you will need to cut the rails as shown in the drawing
above.

Thanks to Kay Sievert for providing this photo.

SL-E391F (#4 N) left and SL-E395F (#6 N) right.

Option: I also suggest that you solder jumpers
(called bonds)
from each closure rail to the corresponding point rail to ensure life-long
good electrical contact and avoid a potential hot spot.
Better yet, drop feeders from the point rails to the bus. Bonds sometimes make
the turnout too stiff for some switchmachines.

You will need to use insulated joiners on the ends of
the frog rails and will need to power route the frog as shown.

If you stop here, you will have a potential short situation at the
frog should a train derail. I suggest that you spend another
30 seconds and cut the frog as shown. This will electrically
insulate the guard rails from the frog.

After you isolate the frog, you will need to power the
closure rails. On some Peco turnouts, Peco has left a gap in the plastic
ties to allow you to easily add jumpers shown in the drawing as "ADD
JUMPERS." Such gaps can be seen in the photo of the code 75, 83, and
100 turnouts. As you can see in the photo of the code 55 turnouts,
they have not provided
anywhere
for
you to
do
this. You can either install the jumpers by cutting the plastic with
a sharp knife, or you can add feeders that connect between your closure
rails and your bus under the layout. This actually results in two less
solder joints on your turnout. You will, of course, still need two
feeders from your stock rails.

With this type of turnout, I suggest you use the light
bulb to reduce the likelihood of your system's shut down due to a derailment
on the
frog. Also, the light bulb protects against a short due to someone
coming into the switch when the points are not thrown in their direction. If
you do not cut the frog as shown, then I definitely recommend you use
the light bulb. Without the bulb, a derailment on the frog will
definitely cause a short. See
the track wiring section for more information on using light bulbs.

2. Add jumper between stock rails and closure rails
as shown. Or, for less solder joints to your track, drop feeders
from each closure rail to your buses as shown in color above.

3. Connect
the frog to your power routing switch or switch machine.

4. Connect your power routing switch or switch machine
to your bus as shown in the above drawing. If the locomotive shorts
when it goes across the frog, swap the wires that connect your power
routing switch or switch machine to your bus.

5. Install insulated joiners as shown.

6. Run a wire from each point rail to the corresponding
bus wire as shown in color above.

7. Run a wire from each stock rail to the corresponding
bus wire as shown in color above.

SUGGESTION #2-12d: Connecting Feeders to
a Peco Electrofrog Turnout:

by Charles Steadman

Charles wrote this regarding the code 55 Peco for N-scale.
It should work on other sizes of Peco turnouts as well.

BEFORE

AFTER

They have a neat little wire that runs from one frog rail around the
far side to the opposite closure rail, then to the next closure rail,
and back to the other side of the frog. This seems a bit pointless
initially, as the frog rails themselves are electrically connected
internally (even though they appear to have a very thin insulating
plastic piece at the frog point).

But it makes it spectacularly easy to convert, without any need to
solder wire to any rail. A picture is in order. Or rather, two. The
first (attached) picture shows both sides of the turnout "out
of the box". The second picture shows how I butchered it. By cutting
the tiny loop between the closure rails, and then cutting both connecting
wires halfway along their length (using wire cutters or a dremel),
you end up with four "feeders" pointing down. Two of these
feeders come from the frog rails, which can be soldered together and
connected to the output of the tortoise (or DPDT or whatever you want
to use), and the other pair (one from each of the closure rails) can
be run down again to the tortoise or switch, and on to the main bus
to feed power to the closure rails and the frog. The stock rails of
course pick up their power from somewhere else, or the next bit of
track along the line somewhere.

Having bent down these closure rail feeders (see 'after' picture),
you can now whizz a dremel straight through the pair of frog guard
rails (the continuation of the closure rails) in order to insulate
them. The feeders are right at the end of the new (shorter) closure
rails, and the frog guards are now safe. There's enough plastic support
around that going all the way through the rails (you have to, as the
picture shows) doesn't significantly affect the support of the rails.
Total preparation time -- a few seconds per turnout.

The point rails are extremely thin and flexible, and the
force of the throw actually bends them against the stock rails for almost
an inch of their total two inch length. They also have reasonably substantial
hinges to the closure rails. So for now, I haven't dropped feeders from
the point rails for fear of melting something nearby. With code 55 rail,
as you probably know, it's actually code 80 rail half-buried in the
plastic (only 0.055 being visible above the sleepers), so once you start
heating up one of the rails to solder something to it, you can melt
a good number of sleepers quick quickly.

I also have a wye and curved turnouts in this style. Unfortunately,
Peco haven't done the same with these -- the 'joining' wire runs straight
from the frog rails to the closure rails (up near the frog point), and
so you can't get the three required power feeders for free. You can
get the one from the frog, and then you have to solder feeders to the
closure rails for power. More melted plastic. Not the end of the world
though, and you still get the ability to slice through the closure rails
to insulate the frog easily.

Wiring Double-slip Electrofrog Turnouts for DCC:

The following was contributed by Dale Gloer,
dale.gloer@telus.net

It has essentialy 2 frogs and 4 set of hinged
point rails. The point rails are attached in pairs to two throw bars.
That is, one
throw bar moves 4 points. It requires 2 switch machines. Each frog is
wired to the machine that moves the throw bar opposite it. (It is
really 2 turnouts overlaid on each other, if you treat it as two
turnouts, everything makes sense.)

I have 2 Peco code 75 electrofrog double slips. They
come with frog power wires attached and require some method of routing
frog power, I use a set of contacts on the Tortoise switch machines
to do this. Just follow the instruction sheet. The only thing that
I did as a mod was to add bond wires across the point hinges. Four
of the bonds were easy to install, the other 4 requred a little creativity.

Except for adding bonds, which you would do to improve
reliability whether DCC or not, Dale is basically saying that you
don't need to do anything special to use the Peco Electrofrog Double-slip
with DCC. Just follow the instructions that come with the turnout.
- Allan